Microsoft rolls out campaign to increase awareness on cybersecurity

Microsoft India on 21 November rolled out a nationwide campaign to increase awareness of cybersecurity and cyber hygiene, ahead of the upcoming Global Conference of Cyber Space (GCCS2017).

Microsoft's approach to cybersecurity in today's cloud-centric world rests on three core functional areas: protect, detect and respond and they invest more than a billion dollars a year in security research, innovation and development.

The company also announced the first anniversary of their India cybersecurity engagement center.

Aimed at a wide gamut of audiences from enterprises to school children, the initiative underlines the company's commitment to the Digital India vision and making cyberspace safer.

"Cybersecurity is vital for Digital India. A data driven economy can flourish only when governments, businesses and individuals leverage the power of cloud computing with the confidence that their data is secure. Microsoft understands that economic vitality and national security depend on a stable, safe, and resilient cyberspace," said President, Microsoft India, Anant Maheshwari.

"We believe that through active collaboration between the government and the private sector we can succeed in building a safe and secure digital ecosystem in the country," Maheshwari added.

The initiatives under the Intelligent Security program include the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Advisory Board, cybersecurity workshops for private enterprises, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Academy, and making cyber-hygiene a habit among the young.

Microsoft has partnered with several organizations across sectors to set up a CISO Advisory Board. The objective of the board is to foster a deep and continuous engagement with the CISO community and share information and knowledge about latest developments in cybersecurity as well best techniques and practices, through discussions and tools such as white papers on critical security topics.

The company through its three-pronged approach of a comprehensive platform, unique intelligence, and partnerships, is also driving educational sessions and coaching sessions with enterprises across the country.

Aimed at helping organizations understand their security requirements and protect their information infrastructure better, this follows the 'Microsoft Secure' campaign in 2016. About a hundred enterprises have already participated in the workshops so far.

The new GDPR, which will come into force in May 2018, significantly raises the bar for privacy.

To help simplify the path to compliance, Microsoft is organizing a series of worldwide webinars as well as physical workshops in select Indian cities under the aegis of its GDPR Academy for its customers.

Moreover, Microsoft has committed to be GDPR compliant by May 2018, and is the first major cloud provider to offer the contractual commitments required by the GDPR to its customers.

The company has also partnered with schools to create awareness about good practices for holistic and collaborative cyber-physical safety of children.

Microsoft is working with partner schools to integrate lessons on cyber-hygiene and cyber safety into their curriculum, starting with the 25 schools under the Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) initiative, which is part of NITI Aayog's flagship program Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

Over the period of one year, the center has reached out to 126 organizations, empowering them with information and techniques to secure critical information infrastructure and help reduce malware and digital risk in the country.